With the potential for huge surf, slabbing reefs as backups and three decades of history, the Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro presented by Corona rightfully holds a special place in surfing lore. And with the first two stops of the great Australian leg of the 2021 Championship Tour in the books, and the picture for the impending Rip Curl WSL Finals growing clearer with every passing heat, Margs is more relevant than ever. The waiting period for the event kicks off on May 2. Here's what you need to know before the first hooter blows:
(Extra) Terrestrial
There's old, there's ancient and, well, there's Western Australia. The oldest material of terrestrial origins ever discovered were found here. The small crystals of Zircon discovered near Shark Bay have been dated a whopping 4.4 billions years old, which means they have been around for 98 percent of the time that planet Earth has existed.
The ground closer to Margaret River is more grom-like; the limestone cliffs and granite headlands which provide the backdrop for the Margaret River Pro are between a measly 1,500 to 600 million years old. However its rich history has made the area a biodiversity hot spot which houses over 7,500 plant species, half of which are found no where else in the world. When you add the more recent interlopers; the surfers, the artists, the wine makers and the chefs, it's no surprise that the region attracts more than two million visitors a year.
As the 2012 Championship Tour turns its attention to Western Australia, here's what surfers can expect at Margaret River.
The Deep South
It was in the late 1950s and early 1960s that a slow trickle of surfers first made the trip south from Perth's mediocre beachbreaks. Those intrepid adventurers first explored the endless number of breaks in and around Yallingup, before setting their sights further south to the once sleepy dairy and timber town of Margaret River. Word soon spread of the incredible potential and when the 1973 Australian Titles ran here, which featured the best surfers in the world like Michael Peterson, the word was out. It wasn't until 1985, however, that the first professional surfing competition, the Swan Margaret River Thriller, took place. In the three-plus decades since, Margaret River has been in the pro surfing calendar in various capacities and returned as a CT event in 2013. Despite many name and ranking changes, the event has always attracted an international, world-class field and remained one of the most favored stops by all the surfers on tour.
Size Matters
One of the unique elements of a CT stop at Margaret River is that it offers the potential for truly monstrous sized waves. Of all the locations on the schedule, this is the only event that can match Hawaii for the size and power of the waves. This was first illustrated in 1990 when conditions reached the mythical 20 feet on the Hawaiian scale, which equated to waves faces of 40 feet high. Some of the wipeouts that year, in particular by Nick Wood and Pauline Menczer, have been etched into legend, such was their dramatic severity. While those conditions -- still recognized as the biggest contest surf in Australian surfing history -- haven't been replicated, it has been a regular occurrence that surfers are confronted with waves that require a unique mix of bravery, big boards, and top physical fitness. It is no wonder then that some of Margaret River's most successful competitive surfers, like Tom Carroll, Mark Occhilupo, Luke Egan, Wendy Bootha John John Florence and Courtney Conlogue, are known as the some of the best power surfers of their generations.
Twice in his career Gabriel Medina has lost to wildcards in the Elimination Round at Margaret River, but off to the best start of his career in 2021, that could all change this year. - WSL / Matt Dunbar
When Progression Beats Power
While the Margaret River Main Break can provide waves of unique size and heft, it doesn't mean that it is a place where progression doesn't pay. In the last few years, especially when the surfers go right on the A-framed peak, the break has provided an opportunity to see where surfing is headed. In 2014, for example, Josh Kerr took out Taj Burrow in the last five minutes of the Final by unleashing three difficult aerial moves on a single wave, scoring a perfect 10, then followed with more aerials to take the win. Florence has also deployed such an incredible level of high-performance surfing, that many labeled his event performance (which won him the contest) a game-changer.
Hometown Heroes
The rather isolated Western Australians, known as "sandgropers" in the unique Australian parlance (and, no, we don't know why either), have always had a unique hankering for a hometown hero. Dave Macaulay, Taj Burrow and Jake Paterson are the only locals to have their names engraved as winners on the stairs that lead down to the wave. Local surfer Jodie Cooper also won the event (in 1992), but it was Melanie Redman-Carr who brought the biggest cheers to the gathered, parochial surf fans at the event. The diminutive but powerful, regular-footer won the contest four times between 2000 and 2009, the most by any surfer in the history of the event. This year all eyes will be on Bronte Macaulay, as the Gracetown native attempts to do what her dad did in 1997 and do the sandgropers proud. And then, of course, there's rookie Jack Robinson, but more on him in a moment.
Atop the WSL Leaderboard, Carissa Moore knows how to win in West Oz and will be looking to strengthen her position at Margs. - WSL / Kelly Cestari
The Best Backup in The Business
The reason the Margaret River region is one of the most beloved stops on the CT is mainly because of the sheer number of world-class waves located within such a small area. In the last few years the organizers have made the most of these riches by adding backup venues to the Margaret River Main Break.
Most famously, The Box, an infamous and intense slab located 500 yards across the channel of the main site, was added in 2014 and has injected high drama, gut-wrenching wipeouts and perfect scores to the equation. We saw Florence shine there, but nobody on Tour has the spot more wired than local boy Robinson. He'll be an event favorite wherever the surfing eventually goes down, but his comfort level at The Box is head and shoulders above everyone else.
The Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro presented by Corona kicks off on. Catch all the action on WorldSurfLeague.com.
What It Takes To Win At Margaret River
Ben Mondy
With the potential for huge surf, slabbing reefs as backups and three decades of history, the Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro presented by Corona rightfully holds a special place in surfing lore. And with the first two stops of the great Australian leg of the 2021 Championship Tour in the books, and the picture for the impending Rip Curl WSL Finals growing clearer with every passing heat, Margs is more relevant than ever. The waiting period for the event kicks off on May 2. Here's what you need to know before the first hooter blows:
(Extra) Terrestrial
There's old, there's ancient and, well, there's Western Australia. The oldest material of terrestrial origins ever discovered were found here. The small crystals of Zircon discovered near Shark Bay have been dated a whopping 4.4 billions years old, which means they have been around for 98 percent of the time that planet Earth has existed.
The ground closer to Margaret River is more grom-like; the limestone cliffs and granite headlands which provide the backdrop for the Margaret River Pro are between a measly 1,500 to 600 million years old. However its rich history has made the area a biodiversity hot spot which houses over 7,500 plant species, half of which are found no where else in the world. When you add the more recent interlopers; the surfers, the artists, the wine makers and the chefs, it's no surprise that the region attracts more than two million visitors a year.
The Deep South
It was in the late 1950s and early 1960s that a slow trickle of surfers first made the trip south from Perth's mediocre beachbreaks. Those intrepid adventurers first explored the endless number of breaks in and around Yallingup, before setting their sights further south to the once sleepy dairy and timber town of Margaret River. Word soon spread of the incredible potential and when the 1973 Australian Titles ran here, which featured the best surfers in the world like Michael Peterson, the word was out. It wasn't until 1985, however, that the first professional surfing competition, the Swan Margaret River Thriller, took place. In the three-plus decades since, Margaret River has been in the pro surfing calendar in various capacities and returned as a CT event in 2013. Despite many name and ranking changes, the event has always attracted an international, world-class field and remained one of the most favored stops by all the surfers on tour.
Size Matters
One of the unique elements of a CT stop at Margaret River is that it offers the potential for truly monstrous sized waves. Of all the locations on the schedule, this is the only event that can match Hawaii for the size and power of the waves. This was first illustrated in 1990 when conditions reached the mythical 20 feet on the Hawaiian scale, which equated to waves faces of 40 feet high. Some of the wipeouts that year, in particular by Nick Wood and Pauline Menczer, have been etched into legend, such was their dramatic severity. While those conditions -- still recognized as the biggest contest surf in Australian surfing history -- haven't been replicated, it has been a regular occurrence that surfers are confronted with waves that require a unique mix of bravery, big boards, and top physical fitness. It is no wonder then that some of Margaret River's most successful competitive surfers, like Tom Carroll, Mark Occhilupo, Luke Egan, Wendy Bootha John John Florence and Courtney Conlogue, are known as the some of the best power surfers of their generations.
When Progression Beats Power
While the Margaret River Main Break can provide waves of unique size and heft, it doesn't mean that it is a place where progression doesn't pay. In the last few years, especially when the surfers go right on the A-framed peak, the break has provided an opportunity to see where surfing is headed. In 2014, for example, Josh Kerr took out Taj Burrow in the last five minutes of the Final by unleashing three difficult aerial moves on a single wave, scoring a perfect 10, then followed with more aerials to take the win. Florence has also deployed such an incredible level of high-performance surfing, that many labeled his event performance (which won him the contest) a game-changer.
Hometown Heroes
The rather isolated Western Australians, known as "sandgropers" in the unique Australian parlance (and, no, we don't know why either), have always had a unique hankering for a hometown hero. Dave Macaulay, Taj Burrow and Jake Paterson are the only locals to have their names engraved as winners on the stairs that lead down to the wave. Local surfer Jodie Cooper also won the event (in 1992), but it was Melanie Redman-Carr who brought the biggest cheers to the gathered, parochial surf fans at the event. The diminutive but powerful, regular-footer won the contest four times between 2000 and 2009, the most by any surfer in the history of the event. This year all eyes will be on Bronte Macaulay, as the Gracetown native attempts to do what her dad did in 1997 and do the sandgropers proud. And then, of course, there's rookie Jack Robinson, but more on him in a moment.
The Best Backup in The Business
The reason the Margaret River region is one of the most beloved stops on the CT is mainly because of the sheer number of world-class waves located within such a small area. In the last few years the organizers have made the most of these riches by adding backup venues to the Margaret River Main Break.
Most famously, The Box, an infamous and intense slab located 500 yards across the channel of the main site, was added in 2014 and has injected high drama, gut-wrenching wipeouts and perfect scores to the equation. We saw Florence shine there, but nobody on Tour has the spot more wired than local boy Robinson. He'll be an event favorite wherever the surfing eventually goes down, but his comfort level at The Box is head and shoulders above everyone else.
The Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro presented by Corona kicks off on. Catch all the action on WorldSurfLeague.com.
Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro presented by Corona
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